by Jack Melvin | Aug 1, 2015 | Honduras
St. John’s Bilingual School is moving forward with plans to build a new facility on the vacant property behind the existing school and church in Siguatapeque.
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From left to right, Architect Stefan Schwarzkopf,
new School Superintendant Steven Robinson, Architect Greg Kearley, Jack Melvin and Bishop Lloyd Allen |
Inscape Publico, the non-profit arm of the architecture firm Inscape Studios in Washington D.C., is helping us with the design. Greg Kearley AIA and Stefan Schwarzkopf AIA have visited the existing school and site several times this past year and have developed a campus master plan for us.
This coming academic year, the St. John’s School urgently needs more space for next year’s students. The school currently goes to fifth grade. Each year, it adds an additional grade to keep up with the incoming students. At this point, there is no more room in the existing church buildings.
Accordingly, Greg Kearly and his team have fast-tracked us a set of construction documents for a new cafeteria, which will serve as three temporary new classrooms, until the rest of the school is finished.
The work on the cafeteria/classroom has already begun.
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Master plan for St. John’s Bilingual School in Siguatepeque.
The new school buildings are in color.
The existing school and church are in upper right in gray. |
St. John’s is part of a diocesan network of bilingual schools, each located in a major city. The students graduate not only with a good education but also fluent in English, which gives them an advantage in a tight job market. Because of Honduras’ proximity to the robust United States economy, businesses are very eager to hire bilingual employees.
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Reverenda Madison Vaike, the school chaplain,
leads the kids in the ground breaking service. |
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| The workers begin laying the foundation. |
by Jack Melvin | Aug 1, 2015 | Honduras
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The view from the property.
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The Zamorano Retreat Center will be situated near the town of Zamorano in the beautiful valley of the Yeguare River, with its lush farmland landscapes and surrounding mountains. Zamorano is only half an hour east of Tegucigalpa, located perfectly for retreats in the central part of Honduras.
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The new campus.
(Lodgings are on the left. The chapel is on right.)
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The center will serve more than 120 people and be able to hold diocesan meetings, Cursillos, Happenings, Alpha (1) and other events. On the far side of the campus, small cabins will be available for personal retreats.
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| Aerial view of the campus. |
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(1) For those not familiar with these programs:
Cursillo, which means a ‘Short Course’ in English, is a weekend retreat of instruction and prayer to intensify or renew one’s relationship with God. Afterwards, the retreatants may continue to meet in their churches.
Happenings is similar to Cursillo, except that it is for teen-agers.
Alpha is a course on basic Christianity. People meet every week for a meal and some plain talk about God. At the end, there is a retreat.
by Jack Melvin | Aug 1, 2015 | Honduras
Helping Honduran children get an education
With your help, we have started to assist kids who live in the campo (country) with their education. Education is free, sort of…. The publlic schools are free, but there are costs to attend.
The kids need help with transportation, lunches, books and pencils, uniforms and sometime a fee for maintaining the school.
The scholarships vary depending on the need and age. We also ask the parent to contribute as well, even if they can afford only a little.
There are more kids with needs. Some kids are not attending school this year because they can’t cover these costs. So if you are interested in helping, please let me know.
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| Alejandra Martínez Lopez and Milton Martínez Cortes loaded with supplies to start the school year. Mothers standing by. |
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| Marvin Martínez Lopez ready with his school supply. Also mother and baby B. |
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| Erica Martínez Lopez is studying to be a hairdresser. |
